VerHagen set up to follow Mikolas' blueprint

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Around this time four springs ago, the Cardinals were getting their first stateside looks at offseason addition Miles Mikolas, having signed the right-hander out of Japan to stabilize a rotation in need of durability and depth. Mikolas had flamed out before going overseas, reinventing himself in Nippon Professional Baseball as a frontline starter who commanded multiple Major League suitors in free agency. The Cardinals won the bidding and the gamble, watching Mikolas blossom into an All-Star in '18 and a stalwart of their rotation since.

Perhaps they'll reap similar benefits this summer. Eyeing depth even before they found themselves with a vacant rotation spot, the Cardinals followed the same blueprint by signing right-hander Drew VerHagen to a two-year deal out of Japan shortly after the lockout ended. His first audition for the fifth starter job fittingly came behind Mikolas on Sunday, when both enjoyed effective spring debuts in a 6-4 win over the Mets at Clover Park.

"[In Japan], I had to come to terms with the fact that I couldn't quite cut it in the U.S. I was like, 'All right, I'm going to work on my stuff,'" VerHagen said. "'I need to improve in these areas.' For basically two years, it was starting once a week that progressively improved my stuff. I was able to make good steps in the right direction."

A fourth-round Draft pick of the Tigers in 2012, VerHagen reached the Majors in '14 and looked like a potential impact reliever by the end of the following year. But thoracic outlet syndrome derailed his '16 season, and VerHagen struggled from there, pitching to a 5.11 ERA in 127 appearances through '19. He transitioned back to starting in Japan and excelled, posting a combined 3.50 ERA from 2020-21. His deal with the Cardinals guarantees VerHagen, 31, $5.5 million through 2023; it was also the first free-agent contract struck after the lockout.

The 6-foot-6 righty struck out three across two efficient innings in relief of Mikolas on Sunday, including Pete Alonso on a high fastball and Francisco Lindor on a breaking ball.

"That was exactly what we wanted to see," manager Oliver Marmol said. "He filled the zone, he challenged guys. He did a nice job. That curveball is going to play.

"I was impressed by the curveball. That thing is going to play, tunneling off the fastball. I think he has enough to find a mix to do better than he has [in the past] against lefties."

Mikolas also struck out three, in two innings of one-run ball. But the results were more secondary coming off a year during which Mikolas lost all but nine starts to elbow issues. He sat out all of 2020 after undergoing flexor tendon surgery.

"My tagline right now is: 'It feels good to feel good,'" Mikolas said. "It's a weight off your shoulders, physically and mentally, to not be warming up thinking, 'How is it going to feel today?' When it feels good, you can wake up and there's no issues. ... Physically, I feel like this is right where I should be."

For the Cardinals, Mikolas' durability was always going to be key, even before they learned they will break camp minus Jack Flaherty. Now it's vital. Free-agent pickup Steven Matz and Dakota Hudson fill out the rotation behind Adam Wainwright and Mikolas, but Hudson is coming off his own arm issues. Wainwright is 40. Depth is imperative, even if the Cardinals add another veteran starter through free agency.

That's where VerHagen figures to provide value, whether it's in Flaherty's place or as an additional spot starter/swingman type. His competition for the fifth starter spot includes righty Aaron Brooks, another player returning this spring from overseas. Brooks lugged a career 6.49 big league ERA to Korea and went 14-9 with 2.79 ERA and a minuscule walk rate from 2020-21. His fastball is ticking 3-4 mph harder this spring compared to '19, when he struggled for Oakland and Baltimore. The Cardinals have also had success importing established Asian stars in recent years, notably with former KBO lefty Kwang Hyun Kim.

"Some guys go overseas and finish their careers or some guys get an opportunity to come back and do something special here," Marmol said. “We’ve seen the good version of it.”